Clotilda was born some time around the year of 476 A.D. to Chilperic, the son of Gundovic. Gundovic's Kingdom of Burgundy was divided into four parts and Chilperic governed from Lyons. Gondegisil and Chilperic were Catholics, but their brother Gondebad was an Arian. Clotilda was given religious instruction by her mother Caretena, who is held in high repute by historians. Sedeleuba, the sister of Clotilda, founded the church of Saint-Victor and embraced a monastic life while sometime after the death of Chilperic, Clovis asked for Clotilda's hand in marriage.
There is a pious tradition of the Arian king Gondebad slaying Chilperic, throwing Caretena into a well with a stone around her neck, and exiling the two daughters but this is largely unverifiable. Most of the source material we have of St. Clotilda's life comes from St. Gregory of Tours's History of the Franks. In fact, there is contrary evidence to this claim too as Gondebad lamented the death of Caretena and it is stated of Caretena that she died full of days having seen both her children love and embrace the Catholic faith.
Clovis was not a Catholic when he wed Clotilda and Clotilda is credited with convincing him of the truth of the Catholic faith. Clotilda bore to Clovis five children overall. The first, Ingomir, reposed shortly after his baptism which distressed Clovis and made him frighten of Christianity. But she was able to obtain permission again from the king to baptize her second son, Clodomir, which the king granted. Clovis would ultimately embrace the Catholic faith and he would be baptized by St. Remigius at Reims. Thus, Clotilda sealed the effective future of France as one of the most renowned Catholic nations in all history. It was through her marriage to Clovis that the spark of the fire of the Catholic faith would ignite and spread throughout the Frankish kingdom and her persistence in raising her children according to the Catholic faith in spite of having a pagan husband. As the serpent led the First Eve to sin and through Eve, the man sinned, it would be through the Second Eve who did not sin who would lead the man to eternal life. Thus Clotilda her marriage according to a perfect Marian imitation.
Clotilda's other children were Childebert, Clotaire, and Clotilda. Clovis reposed in the year 511 and Clotilda had him interred in the church of the Apostles which was built as a mausoleum. For this reason, Clotilda is frequently depicted in iconography holding a church. The church she holds represents this church of the Apostles which she built with her husband and would inter her husband in when he reposed. In her widowhood, she would see numerous trials beginning with her son Clodomir's conflict with his cousin Sigismund, son of Gondebad, who had succeeded Gondebad. Godomar triumphantly surrounded Clodomir's stronghold at Orléans. Clodomir had the two sons of Sigimund, Gisald and Gondebaud assassinated on May 1, 524 but was vanquished by Sigismund in the Battle of Vézeronce in that same year. Clotilda took care of his three children, Theodebald, Gunthar, and Clodoald until Clodomir's widow married Clotaire. Unfortunately, more tragedy occurred as her sons Clotaire and Childebert deceived her into thinking they would provide protection for her grandsons. Sending the children to them, she would realize their plots as they attempted to slay all three of Clotilda's grandchildren. Clodoald would escape and he would found the monastery of Saint-Cloud, giving up his hair, the symbol of Frankish royalty, rather than his life.
Clotilda moved from Paris to Tours, closer to the tomb of St. Martin where she witnessed yet another tragedy. Her daughter, the wife of Amalric, suffered from tremendous abuse, and her son Childebert came to her aid. Amalric was slain but Clotilda would repose from the journey home of the wounds she received from her abusive husband Amalric. Then she saw her two sons Clotaire and Childebert engage in conflict with each other. Clotaire hid from his brother in the forest of Brotonne in Normandy and it was at this point that Clotilda threw herself on her knees before the tomb of St. Martin of Tours asking to be spared of yet another fratricide in her family. Just then, a tempest arose and dispersed the two troops. St. Clotilda was rich in virtue and in good works, and after her 34-year-long widowhood, would return to eternal glory in the year 546, being buried in the same church of the Apostles alongside her husband and children.
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